Finding You
by Secret-Telling
Summary: While in Fairytale land Snow and Emma meet someone. Someone that Emma never thought she would see again. How would his presence change their adventure and can he help them get back home to Storybrooke?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: nothing's mine. **

**AN: this takes place after Snow and Emma get sucked through the portal to Fairytale land. This is also after they burned the wardrobe but before they make it to the beanstalk with the giant. Just a little what if story of what would happen if Graham was alive but in Fairytale land. Could change a lot of things. Let me know if I should continue this or leave it as a one shot. Thanks and hope you enjoy. **

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"What the hell?" An arrow whizzed right in front of Emma's face. One more step and it would have hit her. Emma turned around to look at where the arrow had come from. Her face paled as someone came out from behind a tree. It couldn't be.

"Graham." She whispered so only Snow could hear her and only because she stepped in front of her to shield her from the threat. At Emma's words though Snows eyes widened but she kept her bow aimed straight at him. This could be another trick of Cora's.

"You could have hit me." Emma found her voice. Repeating the words that she had said what seemed like a lifetime ago. He came closer and she took all of him in. He was wearing leather and furs were wrapped over his shoulders. His face though. It looked the same as the last time she saw him.

"I never miss." He said as he was close enough to be heard without yelling now. His voice brought a tremor to Emma's hands as she held her sword by her side. She didn't realize how much she had missed that voice. That Irish lilt had always made her insides squirm and she was shocked to see it still did after so long.

"What was your name in Storybrooke?" Snow asked him. Emma could see she was keeping her guard up. Since Cora had shown she could disguise herself as anyone it really made you look twice at everyone around you. She tried to control her emotions just in case it wasn't Graham. She closed her eyes for a second to catch herself but when he spoke again her eyes flew open.

"It was Graham." He spoke clearly and his eyes never left her face. It was so intense that she couldn't tear her eyes away even if she wanted to.

"What was the last thing you said to me?" She just had to make sure it was him. She couldn't allow herself to believe it was true unless she knew for sure. He stepped closer to her and Snow allowed him to by lowering her bow. She seemed to believe it was him already if the huge smile she wore was any indication. He brought up his hands to her face and cupped her cheeks like he had that last night. She found herself having trouble breathing at his touch. She felt her eyes sting trying to hold back the tears threatening to come out.

"I told you that I remembered." He stroked her cheek, "then I said thank you and I was going to do this." He leaned in about to kiss her but she stopped him with a gentle hand on his chest.

"And then you died. Graham, you died right in my arms." Her eyes were filled with unshed tears as she looked up at him with so much pain. It broke his heart. "I c-can't. If it weren't for Henry..." She shook her head as she looked away from his sharp gaze. He was holding his breath waiting for her. Always waiting. She made little patterns on his chest with the hand that still rested there. She was trying to get her thoughts in order so that she could actually talk coherently. "I...when you died...oh god Graham..." She took a step back and wrapped her arms around her stomach as if trying to protect herself.

"I...can't do that again. I can't let myself feel that. Not now. Right now I need to get back to Henry." She nodded at her explanation.

"Emma." Oh, just him saying her name made her want to throw herself in his arms, but she had to stay strong. It killed her when he died in Storybrooke. She had blocked it out, pushed it aside because she had to focus on Henry. But it was always there in the back of her mind. His smile. The way his eyes shined when he talked to her. The smell of his cologne. His leather jacket. The memories would spring up on her and it was always like a punch to the stomach and it would take her a moment to regain her composure. She couldn't go through that right now and make it back to Henry. It was too much. She could only take so much at a time and right now she had already filled her quota.

"Emma," Graham moved in close again and cupped her cheek. She froze but couldn't help slightly leaning into the warm contact. Her eyes closed of their own accord. He could see how scared she was. How utterly torn and afraid. He took a deep breath and with a resolve he didn't know he had he gently kissed her forehead when all he wanted to do was pull her close. Hold her and kiss her and love her until all her fears were chased away. But he knew he couldn't do that. Not with Emma. He had to take it slow. Just be there until she was ready. He could do that. He was the huntsman. He always had to wait patiently for the right moment before he went in for the kill. He could do this.

She inhaled sharply as she felt his lips touch her forehead. He was all around her now and she clenched her fists to keep from grabbing him and pulling him closer. He smelled so nice. There was obviously a more forest smell to him now, but underneath that she could make out the smell that was distinctly Graham. She felt him take a step back and immediately missed his closeness.

"I can wait until you're ready and I'll help you in any way I can. We'll get you back to Henry." He gave her a small reassuring smile and she couldn't help but return it. He was going to stay. He was going to help and for the first time since she got to this new world she felt hope again. She had Graham back and that was enough for now.

"Now that that's done with. Can we keep moving, love?" Emma jumped at Hooks voice. She had forgotten they weren't alone. He gave her that infuriating smirk of his and she grinned when she saw Snow smack him on the back of the head. "Hey! What was that for? I was just saying since lover boy got shot down." He winked at Emma and she felt her blood begin to boil. "We should start moving again. You know, we wouldn't want to be caught unawares while you two are making eyes at each other. Cora could sneak up on us at any moment."

"We were watching-" Snow started but Emma interrupted her.

"No he's right. We should keep moving."

"Where exactly are we going?" Graham asked. He had an indifferent look on his face, like what Hook had said hadn't bothered him in the least.

"We are on our way to finding a way to get back to Storybrooke." Emma explained. She shrugged. "I'll explain as we walk."

She looked around the group and they all gave her nods of understanding. Time to get moving again. As they started walking she couldn't help a small smile reach her lips as she felt the comforting presence of Graham walking beside her. He had found her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: nothing's mine.**

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Before they could really get going Snow had reached over and grabbed Graham's forearm.

"It's good to see you again, Huntsman." Snow gave him a warm smile, which Graham returned. He had forgotten that anyone besides Emma was there and was still lost in his thoughts when Snow got his attention.

"It's good to see you too, your Majesty." He bowed his head towards her but she quickly waved him off.

"There is no need for formalities after everything you've done for me. You can call me Snow." He nodded and gave her a small smile.

"It would be an honor, but I haven't done anything that you yourself wouldn't have done." He could feel Emma watching him and couldn't help but meet her gaze. He would take every chance he could to look into those deep green eyes. After dreaming about them for so long and never thinking he'd see them again it was something he would never take for granted again.

"Nevertheless, I would like it if you called me Snow." He brought his attention back to Snow White.

"Ok." He agreed.

"If you don't mind me asking, how are you still alive?" Snow looked at him curiously as if trying to answer her own question. He scrunched his face thinking it over so she quickly continued, "I mean not that I'm not glad, but I have never met anyone who has as many lives as you do." He chuckled and she smiled at him. It was true. He had been lucky more than a few times in his life where even he was sure it was the end for him.

"What do you mean? How many times have you escaped death?" Emma spoke up and he again looked over at her with a little smile. "And how did you survive your latest…umm…death." She mumbled at the end because she didn't like bringing up his death.

Graham rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, "I haven't really figured out the answer to that last question, but the first one is easy enough."

"Yeah, he saved my life when I was younger and I thought for sure Regina would kill him for that and then I hadn't heard from or seen him again so I thought she had. But then James told me about someone saving him when he was escaping her castle. That was you wasn't it?" The look on his face said it all so she continued, "yet she still didn't kill you for openly defying her because here you are."

Graham didn't say anything as she scrutinized him further, tilting her head and then he saw as she put it together. The realization making her eyes widen in shock, "Oh, Graham please tell me she didn't."

"I don't regret anything, your Majesty. It was well worth it to me." Graham avoided her gaze and Emma's also.

"What are you guys talking about? What happened?" Graham met Snow's sympathetic gaze then and then turned to Emma.

"She took my heart in place of your mothers." Emma's eyes widened and her mouth hung open in shock as she stopped walking.

"As in she ripped your heart out of your chest? How does that even work? Shouldn't you be dead then?" Emma couldn't stop herself from asking the questions and then she met Graham's saddened eyes, "That's what you were talking about that day, wasn't it? You said she had your heart?"

He stood in front of her and could only nod in answer, "You did remember, didn't you?" Again he could only nod in response.

"It's what she does Emma. The Evil Queen was known for taking the hearts of those around her. It allowed her to control her subjects completely. It was how she was sure of their loyalty to her crown." Emma's eyes never left Grahams as she took in Snow's words. She took another step closer to the Huntsman. They were in their own world again and it was so easy to fall into that state. To lose themselves in the intensity of each other's eyes. Emma slowly brought her hand up to rest right above where his heart was. She held her breath waiting for the feel of his heartbeat, but she never heard it. They stood there for what could have been hours. Emma was just waiting and hoping that she would all of sudden feel the steady rhythm of his heart underneath her fingertips.

"Graham, where's your heart?" Emma asked just above a whisper. He took in a breath as if all of a sudden it was real. He really didn't have a heart. If Emma couldn't find it then he was truly lost.

"I woke up where I had been when the curse went off. In the Queen's castle. I don't know how I got there, but I immediately remembered everything. Everything." His words were just as quiet. Only meant for her ears. "I searched the castle and I was able to find her chamber of hearts. This one was calling to me." He pulled up a sack that had been tied to his belt. "I think this is my heart."

Once again Emma was struck speechless. Graham's heart was in that bag. She didn't know what she was supposed to do with that information. Suddenly all of this seemed way, way beyond what could be construed as her comfort zone. What was she supposed to do?

"Can't you put it back in or something?" she asked desperately.

"I tried, but I think she must have put some spell either on me or the heart. It won't go back into my chest. Or maybe you just need magic to do it." He shrugged and tied the sack back onto his belt. He could tell Emma was one second away from a panic attack. He brought his hands up and rubbed her arms soothingly.

"Hey, it's ok. At least I have my heart now even if it's not exactly in my body." He tried to make light of the situation, but judging by Emma gripping his shirt tightly he didn't think he had helped her that much.

"How can you be ok right now? You don't even have your heart in your body!" Yeah, she was definitely on the verge of a panic attack.

"Emma, just breathe. I've lived a long time without my heart and I don't think a little bit more time will make much of a difference. At least now I have it with me. Before I didn't even know where it was. I could have died at any moment or been told to do something that I didn't want to do. This is much better. It's a step in the right direction until we can figure out how to actually put my heart back where it belongs." Emma took a few lungful's of air and after processing his words and just listening to the tenor of his voice she felt herself relaxing.

"You're sure you're okay?" She sought out his eyes again making sure he wasn't lying to her.

"Now that you're here, I'm better than I've been in a really long time." The side of his mouth quirked up just a bit and she couldn't help the small chuckle that came out of her. She shook her head.

"You're impossible, you know that?" Now his smile was full and open.

"I know." His face got solemn again. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. What's one more crazy thing on the already tall pile of craziness?"

"We're here!" They both jumped at the voice. It was Hook. Again. They both furrowed their eyebrows in confusion at him, but noticed he was staring off into the distance. They looked to where he was staring at.

"Is that a beanstalk?" Emma asked uncertainly. Yup that pile of craziness just keeps getting higher and higher.


End file.
